


A Folding Sky

by SmoothieSailing



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Awkward Crush, Childhood Friends, Confusion, Crushes, Exhaustion, Family, First Love, Freedom, Friendship/Love, Gen, Lies, Loneliness, Self-Discovery, Trapped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 08:55:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15433464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoothieSailing/pseuds/SmoothieSailing
Summary: Annie Leonhardt is stuck in a life she never chose.Marcel Galliard is stuck in a life he doesn't belong to anymore.Who are these two lost people to each other?Happy Birthday Jo!





	A Folding Sky

Running on the ground. In her moment or all her life, the feeling of repetition was the same. What was different this time was the body she was running in. A 14 meter tall skinless titan. Her appearance was terrible for stealth, as was the stomping around. The crystals were durable and sharp, but are only worth a damn in close range. This howl is perfect for rallying nearby titans to killing everyone in sight, including her. Annie Leonhardt was not impressed with this titan. _But then again, was she expecting to be impressed?_

  
Having only recently received these powers, the military had decided to unleash them on a small country as a warning to any who would try their luck with a resistance after the previous warriors tenures had ended.

  
_My my, how our glorious homeland loves to throw its weight around._ For a country supposedly oppressed the most by the former Eldian Empire, you wouldn't be able to tell from the outside looking in.

  
She could see them, far off in their truck holding binoculars. Sitting comfortably, marveling at the _unstoppable_ power of the titans. Simple men, they see their enemies reduced to ash and they oooh and aaah at the puppets they used to do it. If they were actually paying attention they would see the obvious weaknesses. She gazed around to look at the other players spread out in the freak show.

  
Zeke, the Boy Wonder. Devastating to anything in his line of fire. Provided he's got the necessary ammunition at hand and he's not exposed to any close range attack himself. He's cocky enough, that's going to get him killed some day.

  
Bertholdt, the God of Destruction. If he detonates, he can only do it once. After that he's slow and stiff. The shifter in question needs to be retrieved and is unable to transform for long period of time. That and he's timid. Marley prizes, above all, an agreeable super weapon that won't bite the hand that feeds him... _Huh. Well I suppose they did something right._

  
The Cart Titan. No real strength, teeth, claws or powers. A soft, pitiful thing that reminded Annie of the bugs she used to squash. It may be piloted by a genius but too many resources went into protecting it. Fitted metal armor? Artillery crews? The moment she's injured, she's a liability.

  
Reiner, the Shield of Marley. The armor is strong, but clunky with surprisingly abundant weak spots. Hit hard enough in the right places and he'll go down easy. He doesn't have the combat skills to hold his own without those plates surrounding his body.

  
Then there was Marcel.... she had misplaced him for a moment to find him quite a distance away from where she thought he was. _He's fast._ Galloping across the scorched earth smashing everything in his path. The Jaw was a strange titan. Small but highly muscular and agile, claws and teeth that could rip through anything. She couldn't tell if the beard was something that came with the titan or something that came with Marcel. The balance of motion was definitely all him though, sometimes it looked like he was dancing.

  
Annie had gone from being unaware of the Jaw Titan to being aware of only it. This was bizarre and dangerous. _Stay focused on the situation so that no one focuses on me._ That was the rule. _Why was she breaking it now?_ Strange words came to mind to describe what she was looking at: _graceful, free, beautiful_... Annie shook her head, that was enough. She had to finish up here. She turned and continued on her path. _Out of sight, Out of Mind_ was suddenly a foreign concept.

  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
He sat there in the truck with a neutral expression on his face. He wasn't alone so the only self expression he had was his breathing: deep and slow enough that he could disguise it as exhaustion. He was exhausted but not for the same reason as the other warriors recuperating around him.

  
Marcel was used to feeling like this everytime he was back in his body. Didn't make it any easier to mask his feelings. He'd keep a neutral face as Magath debriefed him and the others. Then Magath went on to say that they would receive a special mission in a few days time. Not without relaying the praise of the Marley Military for their continued service. That would be his cue to smile back at Magath.

  
He wasn't sure why he still did that. Trying so hard to stay on their good side: say all the right words, do all the right things. Marley were monsters and they had made him a monstrous thing, yet he kept smiling back. He had done what he needed to do to save Porco but what was he doing it for now?

  
Marcel rested his head against the wall and wondered. Maybe he was punishing himself for sealing Reiner's fate. He didn't deserve any of this after all, but what other choice was there? Mum and Dad would have lost all of their children, this way they were just losing... one.

  
The truck stopped and the other warriors vacated the vehicle while Marcel stayed inside for a little while longer. This moment to himself was a pause between one reality as a titan and another as a warrior. He would savor it for as long as he could without getting in trouble.

  
Times like this, he would wish desperately for one moment where he just expressed himself and what he really felt. Then he would remember that the life he was born into didn't allow for that, the best he could do was protect the ones he loved.

  
And yet he would still find himself asking the big questions, despite concluding that it was hopeless each time. _What am I supposed to do with the time I have left? Will I ever know freedom? What is it that I really want? Who am-_

  
His train of thought was broken by the sight of Annie Leonhardt standing a few feet away, staring at him. Marcel was startled but he didn't jump. He was more intrigued than anything else. This was the first time he could remember really seeing her. Her eyes were softer than usual, and she wasn't scowling at him or disinterested. It was an inquisitive look that he didn't think her face make... it was sort of hard to look away.

  
Marcel didn't look away for what felt like a long time. Neither of them said anything as they stood there. It was like they were both under a spell. The looks on their faces didn't give much away to the beholder. Marcel wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling right there, but he was sure that it was being shared by Annie. That maybe for a moment, someone could actually _see_ him.

  
"Are you okay, Annie?" He was the first to break the spell. The question brought back Annie's usual look of boredom.

  
"I'm.. fine." Annie said awkwardly as she turned and left. Marcel had never seen her awkward before.

  
He was so confused, the past few minutes were a lot for him to process. He wasn't sure what just happened with Annie, or what it was supposed to mean. However he was certain that it felt lovely and he wanted to see that look on her face again.

  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
A few days had passed, and Annie had hoped it was the setting of war that had disoriented her. Logically, she knew that to be ridiculous since she had been fine with the surroundings of their previous missions. Yet here they all were again, only this time it was a standard endurance training run.

  
They must have done this a hundred times. The activity wasn't any different, so why was she acting differently all of a sudden? Usually she would focus on the end, when it would be over. Having a general awareness of where the other warriors were in relation to her during the run.

  
Today, she found herself glancing at Marcel again.

  
It was becoming more difficult to force herself to focus on other things. She wondered sometimes during the run if she could catch up a little, but that would be a challenge. Annie had always been middle of the pack when it came to speed, while Marcel tended to outperform everyone else, including Zeke.

  
He completed the distance first, same as usual. He'd also take less time to catch his breath while the rest of us felt like we had run the distance for the first time. Annie hadn't realised how much she had noted about him until now. _What had she been gathering this information for?_

  
This training marked the end of the day, and they were able to go home. Annie was usually the first to leave but today, she was loitering alone. It was possible she admired the view of their training grounds.... _perhaps not._ Somehow admitting that she was looking for him felt like losing a fight, and she never lost a fight. The trick was always knowing when to fight and when to run, judgement was key. Only she had no judgement to help her with this problem. She had no idea whether she wanted to win this fight or run from it or if she wanted something else...

  
"Hey Annie." Marcel's voice came from behind her. She spun around to see him standing there nonchalantly, and she was certain he had purposely snuck up on her. That, or she had been too consumed by her thoughts again.

  
"Hello.."

  
"So umm... I kind of caught you looking at me during training a few times. Was there something on your mind?" he fidgeted with the hair at the back of his head. _Was he nervous?_

  
"I wasn't looking at you." Lying was easy when Annie seldom had to do it. She felt cornered but she wasn't in danger. She must be having an off day.

  
Marcel wasn't convinced. "Yes you were, the same way you looked at me the other day when we came back and the same way you're looking at me now."

  
"This is just my face, I always look like this." She was a better liar than this. She was certain she must have been at some point.

  
Marcel chuckled "No it isn't. You usually look bored most of the time, except for when we're sparring with each other. Oh! you do have this quite an intense stare whenever you hear something really dumb sometimes."

  
What could she say to that? They were all true and denying reality just to spite him was dumb. "....You're more observant than I thought you were."

  
"Haha thanks." Marcel had a grin on his face. She wasn't used to people laughing when she was honest about her thoughts. "Was there actually something you wanted to ask me?"

  
His eyes had a strange colour that Annie couldn't quite put her finger on, they seemed to change depending on the lighting. She thought they were dark green before but now they see a yellow amber. Looking at them gave her a warm feeling, like drops of liquid gold. _Now she was composing poetry rather than responding to his question._

  
"I..." Why couldn't she say anything? Why was she starting to feel a buzzing warmth in her cheeks?

  
Marcel's reaction to her face said it all. It was embarrassing, she expected him to just leave her there like a tree stump. "I think your home isn't too far from mine, you want to walk home together...? It's been a while since our training ended. It will look less suspicious if they see more than just one cadet walking home."

  
Marcel's eyes widened for her response, and Annie considered it. He was right. Logically he was right that was all there was to it. "...Sure." She felt a pleasant sensation in her stomach. _Excitement? Fine. Excitement._

  
Annie decided to lead the way since she was closest to the gate. She would have that much control of the situation at least, for a brief moment. Marcel strolled behind her for a bit and then decided to walk right next to her. He was quickly becoming less scared of her it seemed.

  
"So why is me running so interesting to you?" Marcel posed it with a gentler tone than before. Annie was calmer this time, looking directly in front of her and not at him made it easier to gather her thoughts.

  
"Your running form is good... I'm always looking to improve my technique." That was true. If she was to get a better gauge of her titan abilities, she needed to build her endurance. Also, she wasn't confident she could tell a convincing lie about her reasons.

  
"Ah. Well that's mostly down to my breathing. I figured out at some point that I can go for a lot longer if I synchronise it with my foot striking the ground." Marcel illustrated with his body. Annie wondered if that could really be all there was to it, but it was worth a shot at least.

  
They approached the gate and were greeted by the two guards that were always posted there. They warmly greeted Marcel and then exchanged what they thought to be subtle looks with each other when they saw Annie.

  
Once they were in the internment zone, the people stopped staring in disgust. Annie was among her people, scourge of the world. Forced to wear armbands as if they weren't reminded how hated they were.

  
"You hate them too?" Marcel asked unprompted , gesturing at the star around his arm. As if reading her mind.

  
"Yes..." She chose her next words carefully, anyone could have been listening. "The past is the past, and you and I don't come from the past."

  
"True. Nor can anyone say what the past really is." Marcel grinned at her, he seemed to enjoy talking in code and risking his life in a silly way. Annie secretly did too.

  
"Yunno I thought you didn't like any of us Warriors, or anyone at all." He was teasing her a little, Annie felt like teasing back.

  
"I'm still not sure I do." _Chew on that, Marcel._

  
"Is that so.... I guess I'm suddenly cool enough to meet your friend criteria."

  
"I don't have a friend criteria. Or friends." Annie had never wanted for friends, working on things like conversation and charm were redundant skills. Until this very moment.

  
Marcel picked up on the silence and correctly assumed she had ran out of things to talk about. "Well... my ability as a runner is nothing compared to how great of a fighter you are. Where did you learn to move like that?"

  
Annie felt a chill come over her. She was stiff and quiet but for a much different reason. There was a sudden but familiar ghost pain in her feet."My father."

  
She could see Marcel look at her in the corner of her eye. He had expected something different perhaps, and it seemed he was hesitant to speak for a moment. "Huh. The way you said that just now made it sound like you hated-"

  
Annie stopped and looked right at him. Unwavering. A warning.

  
Marcel held up his hands, realising his mistake. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have pried too much. I guess I got too comfortable."

  
Annie figured it would be the next question he would have, she couldn't blame him for picking up on her emotions. She turned forward again and kept walking, Marcel followed.

  
"Besides... it's more fun running as my titan. A lot of things are more fun as my titan. It feels so natural, like I'm a different person." Annie could hear something in his voice when he said that, some sort of pain that was familiar to her.

  
"That's precisely what makes my titan feel unnatural. All my instincts are wrong, clumsy. I can pass for functional now but I'd be better if their wasn't a weird disconnect." Annie didn't know that was on her mind until she said it.

  
Marcel said something that seemed to have a deep meaning to him."Well it's an experience right? Have you ever wondered if... maybe that disconnect is there because you're holding back a part of yourself?" Annie was struck by that question. _Herself...what more was there to give without losing herself completely inside that thing._

  
They had reached the street with her house on it. It had been safe to separate after they had passed the gate but for once she hadn't minded the company. Marcel did poorly to hide his disappointment, looking down at the ground and kicking the dirt. Annie didn't want him to leave yet either, but she wasn't ready to explore whatever this was yet. There were a lot of things she needed to process.

  
"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." Marcel smiled at her like she imagined he would at an old friend.

  
"Yes. I think you will." Annie managed a small smile back. It had been nice learning about him. Maybe they could even be friends. That thought was comforting to Annie as he continued down the street and she stepped through her front door.

  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
He could feel the knife and fork in his hand. He remembered eating some food but not what it tasted like. He came home to eat dinner with his family and left his experience as a Warrior at the door. All the things he'd seen, all the things he'd done. It was almost like it never happened. He would switch off that part of himself everyday and give his parents a hug.

  
_Was that really true though?_

  
Right this moment, Marcel was intensely aware of his current setting and how much he didn't feel a part of it. The family sat around the table eating stew: Porco was playing with his food pretending not to be interested in the conversation, while Mum and Dad were fussing over the the perfect amount of seasoning.

  
It was getting worse the more time he spent on missions as a titan. He felt more and more like a stranger in this house... in his own life. But he knew that there was only so much time left with all of them, so he had to savor whatever he could with his family. He was tired and it was struggle, but he was able to do it for them.

  
"How was training today?" Dad beamed at him, wide eyed. Marcel could have said anything as long as it had nothing to do with the seasoning.

  
"Well... I'm still the fastest." He chuckled. "Exhausting stuff as usual, we're supposed to receive news about an important mission soon."

  
"Oh Marcel. You take your duty as a soldier so seriously, even now. We're so proud." Mum stroked his had and Dad patted him on the head. _Proud._   _If only_... Marcel didn't think there was much to be proud of.

  
"Don't hurt yourself, big brother." Porco piped up, still staring down at the food on his plate. Marcel knew Warrior talk bothered him, so he tried to keep it to the essentials.

  
"I haven't yet, baby brother." Snide remark back with a tussle of the hair Porco liked to comb back each morning. He pushed Marcel's hand away with a small smile hidden between his cheeks.

  
Marcel knew Porco really wanted to be a Warrior. To have a chance to prove himself and finally step out of shadow cast by his older brother. Marcel didn't mean to excel just to spite him but it was what he had to do. _Be the best. Be the thing that is asked of you and they will leave you alone._

  
That was the way things were. That was how he could change things and keep everyone safe. His brother was safe, yes. But Marcel had directly gone against his wishes without him knowing a thing about it. On top of that, he had dragged another person to hell in his place.

  
Marcel was miserable and ridden with guilt. He kept telling himself that he was trying to do the right thing and that this is how it had to be, he felt more than anything that he was just lying to everyone. Everyone except... _her_. Annie was honest, and being around her made him want to share and be honest too.

  
He had only just started talking to her, but it was a relief. A relief that he didn't want to let go of any time soon. Before today, he only got relief from one place.

  
_Hmm_

  
He twiddled the fork in his fingers, debating whether or not he should sneak out to visit. He decided to risk it tonight and the taste came back when he bit into his food.

  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
_Strike, breathe in. Strike, breathe out. Repeat._ Annie was exhausted. Her lungs were on fire. It was windy and her feet hurt but she was so close. She had been running for an hour at what she remembered to be Marcel's pace. She thought her body would snap in two ...Done. She had reached the end point. It took everything not to collapse.

  
She held her head high and spread her arms out to get as much air as she could. Cursing herself for being so stupid. Pushing herself that far at the end of the day for what? What was there to be gained from this except a broken body?

  
Annie sighed and closed her eyes, that was exactly what was to be gained from this. She was punishing herself. Her Father's relentless drills over the years had caused her to suspect something about herself. It wasn't until she became a shifter and faced a war zone that she knew it to be true: she was a coward.

  
Her entire life up until this point had been a series of choices. Choices that should have been hers but had been made by someone else, and she was just along for the ride. Train to fight until your bones crack. _Sure_. Join the military and become a titan. _Sure_. Annie had never truly wanted any of this, but she didn't have the courage to want anything.

  
Making tough decisions was her secret shame. The closest she'd come to an honest expression had led to even more suffering and pain. She never expressed herself after that happened. The association was too strong, she didn't want it to get any worse.

  
But things were suddenly different. Annie was beginning to wonder if her not making choices she actually wanted was, itself, a choice. That it could all change if she started making those choices even if it was painful or scary or even stupid. Maybe ... _he_ could be that first difficult choice.

  
She opened her eyes. There was a river in front of her that she failed to notice in her exhaustion. She ran until she couldn't run anymore and this is where she had ended up. The water reflected the light in a way that reminded her of the crystals she could conjure.

  
Marcel said something about her holding back a part of herself. It had stayed with her because he was right. There was a part of herself that she couldn't face, a recurring dream that wouldn't leave her alone no matter how much she wanted it to leave. Annie didn't believe in fate, but it was bizarre that this was all happening now.

  
It started to rain and she looked up at the sky. The wind was cool and there were only the grey clouds above. It was soothing to the senses, Annie felt the rest of the world washing away down the river. She gave herself to this moment and hoped the rain would never end.


End file.
